Hello accesindian! Friends! Good morning to all of you. Today is 15th October.
Today we are celebrating white cane safety day here is a history of the day.
WHITE STICK AS SYMBOL OF BLINDNESS - HISTORY
(From RNIB reference library information file)
An Englishman and a Frenchwoman both claim to have originated the idea.
1921 - James Biggs of Bristol (as he claims in New Beacon article, Dec. 1937,
pp. 320/321) thought of idea of painting his stick white -- wrote to various
institutions, Chief Constables, newspapers, magazines, etc...
1930 - First reference in New Beacon (December, p. 265) to white stick - "In Paris,
the Prefect of Police is supporting the idea that blind pedestrians shall carry white
sticks"
1931 - February - Mlle Guilly d'Herbemont, with the assistance of one of the
editors of l'Echo de Paris launched national white stick movement in France.
1931 - Taken up by British Press - West Ham Rotary Club's offer to supply white
sticks to blind people in the area accepted - in May, the BBC broadcast the
suggestion that all blind persons should be provided with a white stick, which
should be nationally recognised by the public
1932 - National Institute for the Blind started stocking and selling white
sticks
WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY
By provision of P.L. 88-628, 88th Congress, 2d Session, October 15 to be
proclaimed each year by the President of the United States as White Cane Safety
Day. First such proclamation issued by Lyndon B. Johnson on October 6, 1964.
(Ref.: NOB, Dec. 1964, 58 (10), 332.)
October 15, 1970 was declared International White Cane Safety Day for the first
time by the President of the International Federation of the Blind. This date
was adopted at the first quinquennial convention of the IFB, held in Colombo on
October 4, 1969. (Ref.: Braille International, July 1971, 4(2), 14-18.)
First celebrated in United Kingdom 15 October 1979. (Ref.: New Beacon,
September 1979, 63(749), 232.)
******
(Viewpoint, June 1991)
The White Cane - A Commemoration by Dr. A Mutter
(Editor's note)
The white cane is now recognised as the blind person's mobility aid the world over. Ever
since US President Lyndon S. Johnson first proclaimed it in 1964, "White Cane
Day" has become the day of the year to publicise the needs and achievements of blind
people everywhere. What follows is an appreciation of Peguilly d'Herbemont, the French
woman who was responsible for introducing the white cane 60 years ago. She was a lady of
French high society who devoted much of her time and fortune to the welfare of the blind.
The writer of the article, himself blind, taught for a time in the mid-30s at Worcester
College for the Blind, later joining the German Diplomatic Service and finishing up as
First Secretary to the German Legation in Berne, Switzerland. The article is reproduced
by kind permission of the German Federation of the Blind, in whose organ it first
appeared in January of this year. It is based on a book commemorating the originator of
the white cane who died in her 92nd year, on 28th February 1980, by Mireille Oblin-Briere
who met our heroine towards the end of her long life. She was so moved by her story that
she set it down before her memories faded altogether and her papers and records were lost
to the world.
Peguilly d'Herbemont was born on 25th June 1888 into an old French noble family of the
same name. In her youth she led the conventional and protected existence, devoid of great
activity, of a girl from a "good family", an existence reminiscent of the life
of the aristocracy before the French Revolution. She never visited a public school, but
was educated by German and English governesses and convent sisters. Her movements were
restricted and were mainly confined to the family positions in Paris and Belgium, but she
spent most of her time at the castle of Charmois not far from Verdun. A lyrical strain in
her nature led her to write quite sensitive poetry, reminiscent of Verlaine. Her
biographer sees their origin in a secret love affair which was never revealed. In time,
this became subsumed by a passionate love of nature and the sympathy to her less favoured
fellow human beings.
In the process of helping individual blind people across the road, Mademoiselle
d'Herbemont was made aware by narrow scrapes which almost led to accidents, of
the precarious situation of the visually impaired brought about by the steadily
increasing traffic on the roads. She first spoke about measures to protect the
blind against street hazards to her mother in 1930, but she was of the opinion
that it was unfit for a lady of good society to create a public outcry and
advised her to stick to the transcription of books, a popular pastime of ladies
of rank at the time.
But the idea did not leave her. The urgent wish to encourage the integration of the blind
into society by providing them with a means of moving about more freely without
endangering others, and at the same time attracting the attention of passers-by ready to
offer assistance, caused her to take the, for her class, unusual step of writing to the
editor of the Paris daily "Echo de Paris" in which she suggested issuing the
blind of the Paris region with white sticks similar to those used by the traffic police.
The editor took up the idea, published it in November 1930 and saw to it that
the relevant authorities acted with atypical speed. Thus it was that the white
cane received official backing, and on 7th February 1931 Peguilly d'Herbemont,
during a small celebration in the presence of the minister of war, Maginot, as
well as the ministers of education and health, was able to present the
President of the French Blind Veterans and a representative of the civilian
blind each with a white stick as a first step of its recognition as the
official means of protection in traffic.
The occasion and the idea provoking it received great public attention from the
press. On the one hand the idea, while not exactly ingenious, had to be
conceived; on the other, the matter was ridiculed by suggesting that the
victims of marital infidelity should be issued with yellow canes because their
distraught feelings might put them at risk in traffic. But there was general
agreement that this was an altruistic gesture at a time of ruthless competition
and unlimited pleasure seeking.
Each middle has its reverse side. Peguilly d'Herbemont was not destined to rest
easy on the fruits of her ingenuity. Whereas the emphasis on the war veterans
and the restriction to Paris and the Department Seine were undoubtedly intended
to be a beginning only, nation-wide protests soon started to the effect that
all French blind should be issued with a white cane and that the employment of
the blind was also a 'field of honour' .
A few weeks after the introduction of the white cane a tragic accident helped
to complicate matters. The attempt of crossing the Champs-Elysées along the
pedestrian strip under the protection of a white cane ended in a fatal
accident, when Doctor Racine was run over and fatally injured by a wild-cat
driver. Doctor Racine had just qualified as a medical practitioner after many
years and left a mother and a wife with two children without means of
subsistence.
Left extremist circles tried to exploit the situation by ascribing the fault to
the white cane and to make political capital out of the contrast between the
needy blind and the prosperous initiator of the white cane.
Despite a serious illness - a tubercular infection which caused her to seek a
cure in Montana for four years - she returned to her life's work of
distributing white canes wherever she could. In gratitude for a successful
operation in Lausanne, Switzerland, she distributed 100 white canes to blind
people of the Canton in 1938, and initiated the introduction of a new symbol of
blindness in a country where hitherto only the yellow arm band had been
recognised. Over the years, the blind person's cane has changed shape and size,
material of construction and method of use, but not colour. Peguilly
d'Herbemont, who avoided publicity all her life, received many private
expressions of gratitude; in 1947 she was decorated with the Legion of Honour,
and in 1976 received the Freedom of the City of Paris.
(New Beacon, September 1979)
¨ October 15, White Cane Day in many countries is to be celebrated this year
for the first time in the United Kingdom. The object of the exercise is to
stimulate the general public to a better understanding of blindness and visual
handicap, and to make people more aware of the white cane as a mobility aid.
***************************
(New Beacon, December 15th 1937)
HOW I OVERCAME MY BLINDNESS."
This series of articles is intended to show how the many difficulties attendant
on blindness can be overcome in following various occupations and professions
IV.- An ex-Photographer
By James Biggs
Before I can tell you how I have tried to overcome the handicap of blindness, I
must tell you something of my tastes and habits before I lost my sight. As a
youngster I was very keen on athletics (gymnasium, cycling, swimming, rowing,
etc.), and I helped to start the Y.M.C.A. Swimming and Chess Clubs, Winning
medals and prizes in various events. Despite these sporting proclivities,
however, it was decided that music should be my profession. Organ pedals were
fitted to my piano for home practice, and at the age of 22 I obtained Royal
Academy diplomas for both piano playing and teaching, and organised concerts
and played a good deal in public. In turn I became organist and deputy organist
at two or three city churches. Nevertheless, I was destined for another
profession. Amateur photography had always occupied a good deal of my spare
time and gradually I drifted into professional photography. I began by doing
trade work and corporation work; I took series of photographs for contractors
erecting large buildings, for libraries, for a University from foundation to
completion, in fact all kinds of technical and general work. Eventually I
became manager of the photographic department of a very large firm, and later
still a firm's operator traveller, taking military groups, hospitals, etc., and
undertaking all kinds of photography up and down the country for three
provincial newspapers, which meant travelling from Leeds to Plymouth and from
London to Tenby and most of the towns between.
It was about this time that the "crash" came. Whilst taking the place of a man at the Front employed by a Leeds firm, I received
accidentally a violent blow in the right eye, which resulted in detachment of the retina and after several weeks in hospital, the sight of
this eye went completely. I carried on for some six months, when the other eye became affected, and altogether I was nearly eight months on
my back with scarcely any movement. The sight ultimately went from that eye also, and for a time this seemed the end of things. A
"black-out"! Up against a stone wall, at a "dead-end." It seemed terrible at the time, and I knew then why many commit
suicide in similar circumstances. But after sympathetic talks with the kindly house surgeon and the practical advice of a cheerful
Grenadier Guardsman who had also become blind, I determined to make the best of a bad job, take a firm grip of things and "carry on.
" The soldier said" What's the use to worry? There are scores worse off than you, however bad it seems now. You may be poor, but
you can be happy. Worrying won't make things better. Try to see all the fun you can in everything, and above all, don't bleat your troubles
to other people they've got enough of their own." All this was splendid counsel, and I followed it. It reminds one of the very
practical Americanism "Quit squawking." This saying, by the way, was quoted recently by a noted London preacher on the Radio.
It was now just like beginning life all over again, but I formed many new
friendships, and after a time things gradually settled down. The soldier had taught
me the Braille alphabet, and still taking his advice, I got cheerful yarns from the
splendid assortment of books in the National Library. It is not fully appreciated
what a blessing to the blind community this library is, with its vast variety of
books on innumerable subjects. The only improvement I can suggest is that many of
the "maudlin,'' miserable, depressing tales should be burned. The blind want
cheerful reading and not doleful, dreary stuff.
Another piece of the soldier's advice was: "Try to cultivate independence. Go out by
yourself as much as possible. Going about with others makes you lose your nerve when
alone." Soon after starting on my travels, it occurred to me that if my stick were
painted white it would help matters. So I tried it, and the result was eminently
satisfactory. I advised others to do the same, and those who did so found equal benefit.
Then I started writing about white sticks to various institutions, to Chief Constables,
newspapers, magazines, motor journals M.P.'s, including the Minister of Transport; then
to newspapers abroad, in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France, Egypt
and other countries; also to the Safety First Association, to Rotary Clubs and similar
organisations; and I got the BBC to broadcast the idea. The organisations I have
mentioned took the matter up so heartily that the white stick movement rapidly spread,
for whoever tried the white stick found it most useful, and now, after 17 years, white
sticks are in use over a large part of the world, and at least 35 per cent of the British
blind are making use of them. It is very gratifying to me to see the scheme spreading and
I receive many letters from those who have proved the value of the white stick. Strange
as it may seem, some sections of the blind appear to object to it at first, but when they
have given it a trial they are as keen as anyone.
In addition to being totally blind, I am stone-deaf in the left ear, and suffer from
vertigo which tends to make me always veer to the left in walking, and a few years ago,
to make matters still worse, a severe attack of sciatica came on, making movement
extremely difficult. After trying many so-called cures, including an expensive course of
electrical treatment, without effect, my son, who is in the Navy, suggested physical
exercise in the form of "army jerks," moderate at first but gradually
increasing, and carried out regularly night and morning. This effected a complete cure,
and I am now able to do my old trick of holding out a bucket of coal or water at arm's
length on my little finger. Not bad for all old crock of 70! I have been asked to
demonstrate these exercises to other sufferers, who derive benefit from them.
A matter regarding myself that I have never heard other blind people speak of
is this. When I am asleep, sight is fully restored to me in dreams. Recent
incidents and those of years ago are brought vividly to life. Light and colour
are there as distinct as when sighted. Old friends are recognised, street
scenes, buildings, etc. The anxiety of steering the choir through a difficult
anthem, pulling out the stops and turning over the pages of music, or dodging
about getting the best position for some royal procession, everything is seen
clearly and distinctly. I wonder if other blind people get this sensation, and
I also wonder what people who have never seen dream about.
Let me mention one or two of my "gadgets." For accurate timing I have a cheap
metal clock with the glass removed, and little blob of solder put on the rim opposite 12,
3, 6 and 9, with file marks by the other figures. If the clock is hung on a curved
dresser hook by your favourite seat and hung on the bed rail at night, you can get the
time to a minute and correct it by the radio. And what a God-send the radio is! An
ever-ready companion, waiting at an instant's notice to read to you, lecture to you on
travel and all manner of useful subjects, and supply you with a never ending selection of
music. I often hear piano pieces that I used to struggle with, faultlessly rendered on
the exquisite studio pianos, to say nothing of the scores of records. Sighted people do
not know the value of the radio to the blind.
For ordinary correspondence I have had made a light wooden frame to fit over a Braille
writing-frame with 22 piano wires stretched about half an inch apart and a little above
the surface of the paper. This prevents the breaking of the pencil point and the wires
"give" for h's or g's.
Chess and cards are useful for spare time, and I now practise hands of "long crib" when
alone. This is better than "Patience." Instead of using 5 or 6 cards as in ordinary crib,
we tried 9, later 12 and after discarding 4 and turning up 1, you have 9 cards to count. The
highest you can have in ordinary crib is 29, but in the 12 you may hold anything from 4 to 180.
This makes it most interesting.
In getting about I have made many new friends, and some say, "You always seem very cheerful, but then you have
nothing to worry about, I suppose." They spoke truly," You seem so cheerful."If they only knew! But
trying to cultivate that spirit of cheerfulness is the only way to keep going. Keep your mind occupied with something
all the time, and don't brood over your troubles. Get out in God's fresh air as much as possible. "Quit
squawking" and always carry a White stick! And finally, just think over this little quotation: "Turn your
face to the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind."
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